I tried hard to turn my head to what had happened in Bangladesh on April 24, 2013. Another horrific incident in the face of fast consumerism and greed.
Let me back up. My name is Juliette Donatelli, you might know me by face, but that doesn’t matter. I am 26 years old. And I know we are all ready for change. I created this blog in September 2012, coincidentally at the same time of the first of three recent tragedies in garment factories. I was preparing to defend my Masters thesis on restoration of the tallgrass prairie in the midwestern United States, and had been in the field of sustainability for eight years, but as I always long to do more, I am making a pact with you.
I shop “ethical fashion” most of the time. But knowing what I do, on February 10th, I bought a fast fashion bag from Zara, which I use daily to work, and curl inward like a turtle when someone from the sustainable fashion world compliments me on it. I am an emotion driven consumer too.
Today marks the start of a new experiment: I will only spend my money on garments I can trace from start to finish–cradle to cash register. For one year, I vow here on out that every clothing purchase I make can be traced to ethical companies and no BS. Each item will be documented on the column called New Threads.
Ilana Winterstein from Ecouterre made a strong case not to boycott fast fashion, it’s a good point, but its not enough for me. We are ready. I want real change, I want to be part of it + I hope to prove it is possible now.
Follow me on my journey. Participate, debate + question–not just me, but the world around you.
Featured image photo credit: Washington Post
Wonderful post!
There is a point about not boycotting fast fashion. But I think what you (and I) do, is not boycotting in itself. It’s just behaving as a consumer behaves, namely buying only what meets her demands and desires. I want to buy clothes which are fairly and ethically produced, and I will buy those and not any others – much like I only buy neutral toned clothes and not shock colors, without it being a boycott on shock colors.